Posted by Ashley Fox on October 06, 2016 at 4:35 PM

Calling all poets! At- Large Councilmember Elissa Silverman is hosting her first spoken word event, Word on the Ward, on Wednesday, October 19, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. at Wicked Bloom Social Club (1540 North Capitol St NW). The event is centered on the importance of civic engagement among youth and young adults to make sure their concerns and ideas are being heard.

Word on the Ward is intended to provide a safe space for artistic expression of current events and for participants to leave with a better understanding of what elected officials do, who they are, and how to access them. Each poet will have 3-5 minutes to speak and is asked to prepare a performance piece using one or more of the following prompts:

If you could tell your elected representative one thing about how to work more collaboratively with District youth and young adults, what would it be?

What is the biggest challenge District youth and young adults are facing today when trying to secure employment?

What do you believe are the root causes of violence in communities across the District and how should they be addressed?

What would you say to someone affected by homelessness? If you have been personally affected, what do you want your elected representative to know about your experience to help create better solutions?

What does civic engagement mean to you and why is it important?

If you are interested in participating and/or have youth or young adults that may be interested, please send a full name, email address, and phone number to Charnisa Royster at croyster@dccouncil.us to receive more information and to confirm participation.